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Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Hyaluronic acid and upper airway inflammation in pediatric population: A systematic review
Manuele Casale1, Paola Vella1, Antonio Moffa1
1Unit of Otolaryngology University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.
Insights
Topical Hyaluronic Acid (HA) shows promise for pediatric upper airway inflammation. It effectively reduces inflammation and aids healing, particularly in children with cystic fibrosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Pediatric upper airway inflammatory diseases pose significant socio-economic and familial burdens.
- Topical therapies offer therapeutic advancements by reducing mucosal inflammation and promoting tissue healing.
- Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a promising topical agent for adjuvant treatment of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on therapeutic effects of HA in pediatric upper airway inflammation.
- To evaluate HA's effectiveness, alone or combined, in children with cystic fibrosis.
Main Methods:
- Literature search conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Ovid.
- Included studies focused on HA use in pediatric UADT, excluding nasal packing and invasive administration.
- Four publications were selected for review.
Main Results:
- One study involved recurrent upper respiratory tract infections.
- One study focused on bacterial acute rhinopharyngitis.
- Two studies examined children with cystic fibrosis.
Conclusions:
- Topical HA administration is crucial for pediatric UADT inflammatory diseases.
- Positive outcomes are frequently observed in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis.
- HA demonstrates potential as an effective adjuvant therapy.
Background:
Inflammatory disease of upper airway in pediatric population represents a social problem for both the pharmaco-economic impact and a burden for the family. To date, the use of topical therapies represents a significant therapeutic progress because they are able to reduce mucosal inflammation and improve tissue healing. Topical Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a promising molecule that has been recently proposed as adjuvant treatment in the inflammatory disease of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) infections.
Aims:
The aim of our work was to review the published literature regarding all the potential therapeutic effects of HA in the inflammatory disease of upper airway in pediatric population and evaluate the effectiveness of HA, alone or in combination, in children affected by cystic fibrosis.
Methods:
Relevant published studies about use of HA in UADT in pediatrics were searched in Pubmed, Google Scholar, Ovid using various keywords with no limit for the year of publication. Studies based on the use of HA with nasal packing and with invasive administration of HA were excluded.
Results:
At the end of our selection process, four publications have been included: one of them in children with recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, one of them in children with bacterial acute rhinopharyngitis, two of them in children affected by cystic fibrosis.
Conclusions:
Topical administration of HA plays a pivotal role in all the children suffering from UADT inflammatory disease, and positive results are generally observed in children with cystic fibrosis.

